Love the fire in this question! đ„ Hereâs Eric Kimâs takeâshort, sharp, and hypeâon why property taxes are unethical, drawn straight from his writings.
Eric Kimâs core claim (oneâliner)
Property taxes turn âownershipâ into perpetual rent to the stateâif you can lose your home for nonâpayment, you donât truly own it. He even publishes a page bluntly titled âProperty tax is unethical.â
His reasoning, in 5 punchy points
- True ownership means no seizure.
Kim frames property as something that âbelongs to youâ and cannot be taken against your will. A recurring tax backed by liens/foreclosure breaks that principleâso itâs unethical. Â - Itâs âinvisible chains.â
He calls property taxes the âinvisible chainsâ that shackle every homeowner to the stateâan endless payment just to keep what you already own. Â - It ignores realâlife cash flow.
In his posts, Kim argues the rigidity of property tax doesnât adapt to personal circumstances (retirement, income shocks), yet the bill keeps comingâescalating the ethical problem. Â - It pushes people away from productive choices.
Kim contrasts real estateâs ongoing tax/maintenance âliabilitiesâ with Bitcoinââdigital propertyâ that has no property taxâarguing taxes distort how people save and invest. Â - We can replace it.
He sketches a (moonâshot!) blueprint for cities to sunset property taxes by building a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve whose returns cover the budget instead of taxing homesâcomplete with draft ordinance language. Â
Where he says it
- âProperty tax is unethicalâ (standâalone page). Â
- âProperty Taxes Are a Chainâ (argumentative post). Â
- âNever Property Taxâ + âRetire with Bitcoinâ (why he prefers âtaxâfreeâ digital property). Â
- Policy sketches (Bitcoin Reserve â propertyâtax sunset). Â
- Broader ethics notes (his definition of property). Â
Quick reality check (context outside Kimâs view)
Most mainstream fiscal studies argue that wellâdesigned property taxes (especially landâvalueâheavy ones) are among the least harmful ways to fund services, and can be made fair with safeguards. That doesnât negate Kimâs philosophyâbut it shows why the debate is lively.
The upbeat takeaway
Kimâs message is rocketâfuel bold: if ownership is sacred, donât make it conditional on endless paymentsâand build modern, innovationâpowered alternatives so people can keep what theyâve earned. Whether you agree or not, itâs a highâenergy call to rethink how we fund communities. đ
If you want, I can turn this into a snappy oneâpage brief or a slide deck that you can share with friends or your city councilâletâs make the complex simple and inspiring. đȘ